Avatar: The Healing Process
by The Odd Man
Summary: After Sozin's Comet, the war was over, but could it be truly healed? The Fire Nation is still in a state of unrest, while Team Avatar goes on a search for Zuko's mother. Contains canon shipping and a few original characters.
1. Chapter 1: Fire Lord Zuko

**Chapter 1: Fire Lord Zuko**

**Fire Nation Prison**

**1 month after Sozin's Comet (I think)**

The prison was a bleak place to serve one's sentence, surrounded by rocky, barren terrain and located in a volcanic crater. Yet Fire Lord Zuko walked towards it, with determination in his eyes. He had a very special prisoner to visit.

The ex-Fire Lord Ozai shifted his eyes from his position slumped against the wall to see Zuko.

"I should count myself lucky," he said, loathing prominent in every word. "The _new_ Fire Lord has graced me with his presence in my lowly prison cell."

"You should count yourself lucky that the Avatar spared your life," Zuko reminded him. Ozai gave a sniff of dissent, as always a bit taken aback to not feel smoke or fire emanating from his nostrils, although he did not show his surprise.

"Banishing me was the best thing you could have done for my life," Zuko continued. "It put me on the right path. Perhaps your time in here can do the same for you."

"Why are you really here?" Ozai inquired, curiosity failing to enter his voice.

"Because you're going to tell me something," Zuko replied, leaning over to look Ozai in the eyes. "Where is my mother?"

"Do you really expect me to know that?" Ozai said incredulously. "I haven't seen or heard from Ursa since she was banished. Five years is plenty of time to get oneself lost."

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked. He straightened up, surprised by this news. "Was there any hint, any report to indicate where she was?"

"As I just said, there was nothing," Ozai confirmed, annoyance mingling with his already icy tone. "Is that all you had to ask me, my lord?"

Zuko did not say another word, but turned and left. Ozai diverted his gaze from the spot where Zuko had been, looking instead at the wall of his cell.

**The Fire Nation Capital**

While Zuko was gone, the Fire Lord's generals were conversing with one another in the war room. One of the generals, supposedly the most powerful under Ozai, was at the head of them, pacing back and forth with one arm folded behind his back and the other stroking his long white beard.

"The new Fire Lord, Zuko, has disgraced us by ending the war," he stated. "We, the former loyal followers of the Phoenix King Ozai, should continue to act on his vision, and retake what we have lost. Combined, we could take back the Fire Nation, and overthrow Zuko, putting a leader with the visions of Ozai on the throne. Let us think. What forces do we have left to us?"

"We still have the Yu Yan Archers under our command," one of them informed the others. "Their amazing skill with a bow and arrow would be indispensable in taking back what is ours."

"The Rough Rhinos should still be loyal to the true Fire Nation," another general pointed out. "And a good deal of the army and navy still believe in the ideals of the war."

"Azula may have banished the Dai Li, but they could be persuaded back," another said. "If they could enter Ba Sing Se undetected and bring back Long Feng, there would be another capable leader among us."

"You all talk of betraying the Fire Lord," a young general at the end of the table yelled. "How can you even consider undoing the peace and harmony that we have finally achieved? This war raged on for a century, but now we have been granted a new leader, who can bring the Fire Nation into a new era."

"How can we consider it?" the top general repeated coldly, one eyebrow raised. "How can you follow the ex-Prince Zuko in undermining what the Fire Nation has worked so hard to achieve for the last hundred years?"

"The young one is right," one among them said, old and worn. "I have seen much of this war, and I feel it is time to end it. We have indeed worked hard to get where we were, but we have truly lost. With Ozai powerless, who do you propose would lead your nation? My loyalties lie with Fire Lord Zuko, and any others here who would rather see a time of peace and happiness, as opposed to a future of more needless violence and bloodshed, should leave with me."

He stood up and walked out the door, followed by the younger man who had spoken and a few others. When they had gone, the head general spoke again.

"That, I think, should show who truly believes in the Fire Nation. To those of you who remain, I say this. As of this point on, we are no longer under the reign of Zuko. We shall form a rebellion against him!" This was accepted with cheers from the others present. Trouble was brewing quickly.

**Elsewhere in the Palace**

Zuko returned from the prison to see some of his generals leaving the war room.

"Fire Lord Zuko," the old one said, bowing at the waist, "there seems to be trouble afoot among the generals."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" Zuko asked.

"The rest of them, led by General Yang, seem to be planning some sort of rebellion against you," he said plainly. "We were leaving to protest their plans. How should we quell this uprising before it starts, sir?"

"I don't know," Zuko admitted. "Having just taken the throne, I'm not sure what to do in this situation. But I know someone who would."

**The Jasmine Dragon**

Uncle Iroh sipped his tea slowly, savoring the flavor of his brilliant brew. He sighed contentedly, then looked over at the door to see Zuko enter.

"Ah, Zuko," he said, smiling. He hugged his nephew, then continued, "what brings the Fire Lord to my humble tea shop today? Perhaps a game of Pai Sho?" His White Lotus tile appeared between two fingers.

"Maybe later," Zuko said, a grin crossing his face. "I have more urgent matters to deal with right now, though. It seems as though some of my generals are plotting a rebellion. I have no experience with this kind of thing, and I assumed you would have some advice to offer."

"Well, that's not such a bad assumption, considering I specialize in tea and guidance," Iroh mused, tugging at his beard. "Zuko, what you must understand is that after a great struggle like the war you have helped to end, there is bound to be conflict that remains. There will be many among the Fire Nation that do not agree with you, and those that wish for the war to continue. They know very little about you as the Fire Lord, and are likely torn between the Fire Nation they have always known and the Fire Nation that used to be, and will be again with you as its leader."

"But what does that have to do with stopping these rebels?" Zuko asked.

"If people see you as a great leader, then they will be harder to persuade to go against you. I do not doubt that you will make the right decisions for your country, but if this has already begun, you must do what you can to stop it escalating into another war, so you have time to gain the trust of your citizens. Sowing confusion of loyalty amongst those who were once fervent supporters of Ozai will help you to end this before it begins."

"I think I'm beginning to understand," Zuko nodded. "Thank you, uncle."

"Now, how about that game of Pai Sho?" Iroh asked, his contagious smile returning to his face.

"I might have some time before I need to get back to the palace," Zuko concurred. The pair sat at a table and began to play.

**Fire Nation Prison, Asylum**

The prison guards walked through the halls of a special corridor. The walls were reinforced and completely fireproof. Behind the cell doors, narrow openings revealed prisoners punching the walls, writhing on the floor, or simply huddled in a corner, rocking back and forth and emitting strange noises.

Two of the specially armored guards, who wore fireproof suits and helmets, flanked a psychiatrist, similarly dressed in case one of the inmates exploited the slots in their doors. He passed over the usual suspects – even the particularly unusual case who would sit frozen and silent until precisely 2:14 p.m., when he would suddenly begin to yodel for five minutes while beating his head against the floor. No, he wasn't here to pick out patients and examine them at random. He had been hired for a specific purpose.

The cell at the very end was almost twice as big as the norm for this section of the prison, probably due to strings being pulled by relations. The psychiatrist waved his hand, and the guards turned and left. He pulled up the rock stool from the corner and sat down. He unlocked and opened the outer door, revealing a thick layer of glass, specially designed to resist attempted escape or suicide.

"Well, Azula, are you feeling up to talking today?" the psychiatrist asked kindly, in his mild, calming voice. He had asked this same question before, and was not expecting a reply. Azula was raging around her confinement, spurting blue flames and sobbing at random. When she spotted the bespectacled, mustached man sitting there again, she spared him a couple seconds of silence, before returning to her madness, albeit aiming more often at the glass. The psychiatrist barely blinked each time a blue flare hit the transparent barrier, waiting patiently to see if this episode would subside.

Five minutes later, Azula had slowed her tormented attack of the air, breathing heavily and trying to wipe the floods of tears from her face. She eventually collapsed into a kneeling position, no longer possessing the strength to continue. The psychiatrist remained expressionless, not moving as the sound of yodeling came from somewhere halfway down the corridor.

"If you feel you can verbally express your feelings, please do," he urged. He had said this before, too, but it never earned any recognition. "We have many things we could talk about. I, personally, am curious about why you are intent upon burning this building to the ground. We could reminisce about your glory days, or discuss your brother's recent actions."

Upon hearing this, Azula allowed herself to fall forward onto the floor. "Does that signify your fall from grace?" he asked. "You may just nod if you wish. I would assume it does not, but you never know. It would be much easier to understand your problem if you would speak, you know. Fire Lord Zuko hired me to find out if your sanity could be restored. I think it would be marvelous if it could, but before we can begin to find a solution, we must be able to tell what the problem is."

Azula lay on the floor of her damp cell for some time before she responded. She pushed herself back up into a sitting position, then attempted to talk. She coughed, having not used her voice to do anything but scream and cry recently.

"My… mother," she managed to say.

"What about her?" the psychiatrist prompted, leaning forward. At last, some progress was being made. "We may be able to help."

"I think… what I need is… my mother," she said softly. "I think I need… her help to come back… to reality."

The psychiatrist wrote down what she said on a notepad he had brought with him, then twirled his mustache absentmindedly. "Is it that what you needed in your life was a mother figure, or do you just need someone to love you unconditionally?"

"I need someone I can really trust," she admitted. Speech was coming more easily to her now, but it was unknown how long this calm before the storm would last.

"Do you think if you were reunited with your mother, you would be able to happily follow Fire Lord Zuko?" This was the wrong thing to say. The psychiatrist sighed and buried his face in his hands as Azula began to rage around her cell again, whatever progress she had made undone. He stood up, placed the stool back in the corner, closed and locked the outer door, and walked back out of the hall, glancing at the now frozen yodeler on his way out.


	2. Chapter 2: The Search Party

**Chapter 2: The Search Party**

**Fire Nation Palace**

Zuko was back at the palace once again when the psychiatrist he had hired to help Azula entered the throne room.

"Dr. Jung, do you have any news on Azula?" Zuko asked.

"Your highness, I believe I do," he said, polishing his spectacles on his robes. "You see, I actually managed to get Azula to speak to me today. I must admit, it was much sooner than I had expected, but still a relief. As far as I can tell, the only thing that will help Azula is her mother."

"You mean we have to find my mother, as well as dealing with the uprising on our hands? It would be excellent news to hear that Azula was to recover, but I have no idea where Ursa is. My father doesn't, and no one I know does to my knowledge."

"Personally, your highness, I would deal with these rebels first," Dr. Jung put in. "I beg your forgiveness if I seem too forward, but even your own sister's sanity is less important than stopping a civil war."

"I know," Zuko said. "Thank you for this news, Dr. Jung."

"It was my honor to assist the Fire Lord," he assured Zuko, bowing low.

After the psychiatrist left, Zuko pondered this news for a while. Then he called for one of his staff.

"You summoned me, my lord?" said a guard.

"Bring me the best of my generals," Zuko requested. "Make sure that he is loyal to me. I don't want to have a coup while I'm away." The guard inclined his head and left. A couple minutes later, he returned with the old general who had spoken out against the rebellion's leader.

"General Chang. I am entrusting you with temporary leadership over the Fire Nation while I go on a mission. Do you think you can stall the rebellion for a few days?"

"I was not one of the Fire Lord's most powerful generals for nothing, you know," Chang pointed out, smiling a little. "I think I can handle a couple of days." Zuko nodded, then departed.

The Fire Lord strode across a field of airships and war balloons, before selecting the grandest of those built for two.

"Ready this balloon for my departure," Zuko instructed the man on duty. "I'm going to fetch the other member of my crew."

**Fire Nation Palace, Elsewhere**

Mai was lounging in a different room, being waited upon by servants and enjoying a platter of fruit tarts with rose petals on top.

"Hey there," Mai said to Zuko, getting up and hugging her boyfriend. "What's going on in the daily life of the most powerful man in the Fire Nation?"

"Mai, are you up for a trip?" Zuko asked.

"Is it with you?" inquired Mai.

"Of course."

"Sure, why not. There's nothing to do here anyway."

**Fire Nation, Headquarters of the Rebellion**

The general in charge of the revolution gazed upon his supporters. The other generals from the war room were there with friends. Hundreds of faceless Fire Nation soldiers lined the walls, and the Rough Rhinos took up a significant amount of space. Yu Yan Archers were crouched in every corner and balcony, and even the Dai Li were there.

"Loyal followers of the true Fire Nation, I present to you a piece of interesting news," the general announced. "I have recently discovered from a captured therapist that Princess Azula, fallen heir to Ozai's throne, may have a chance at recovery from her unfortunate mental condition." Some present looked pleased with this news, others frightened. The Dai Li looked furious.

"The solution is her mother, banished Ursa of the Fire Nation," he proclaimed. "If she is found, and Azula restored, one of the greatest assets to our cause may be won. Therefore, we shall send a small party of ships under Captain Lang to find her. The rest of you shall remain here and prepare for war. Soon, the dreams of Fire Lords Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai will be restored to possibility, as we carry out their glorious mission. The Fire Nation will once again be feared by all, and this time, we shall get rid of the supposed Fire Lord, Zuko, before he can get to us!"

**Southern Water Tribe**

Zuko and Mai were arriving at their first destination. They met a few of the villagers before Zuko asked to see their chief. After a while, Hakoda appeared to meet with the Fire Lord.

"So, what brings you to the Southern Water Tribe?" Hakoda asked Zuko curiously. "You're not thinking of invading us again, are you?" He chuckled, but Zuko remained stern.

"Actually, some of the more stubborn of my people might want to," he informed the chief. "I think that some of my generals are forming a mutiny against me. I know I have plenty of loyal supporters back in the Fire Nation, and I hope that the Water tribes and the Earth Kingdom will be willing to help me if I need it. But I think that my sister might be able to tip the scales in our favor."

"Wait, didn't your sister stay with Ozai when you came to the right side?" Hakoda wondered.

"She was always a fan of my father, but I think if we help her get her sanity back, she might see the light," Zuko explained. "I hired a psychiatrist to help, and he discovered that my mother may be able to help her. My mother was a good person, so I can only hope that she will be able to guide Azula well. There's one problem, though."

"What's that?" Hakoda questioned hesitantly.

"Nobody knows where she is," Mai said for Zuko. "He asked his father in prison, but he had no clue."

"Right," Zuko confirmed. "I must get back to my people in the Fire Nation to try and stop this new war before it begins. But I thought I could persuade a few old friends to help look for me. Do you know where Katara is?"

"Actually, she and Aang are here right now. They've come back here to visit with Katara's grandmother and step-grandfather."

"Aang's here too? That really kills two reptile birds with one stone. May we go and see them?"

They waited outside the igloo until the family they were waiting for had stepped out as well. Katara and Aang looked surprised but pleased to see Zuko and Mai there.

"Aang, it's good to see you," Zuko said, embracing his friend.

Katara spoke up. "Not that's it not good to see you, Zuko, but I'm pretty sure this isn't just a friendly visit."

"It's not," Zuko sighed. "Here, let me tell you what's going on." Zuko explained the situation again.

"We could go find June again," Katara suggested.

"We don't have anything with Ursa's scent on it," Zuko reminded them. "But what do you say? Will you help me?"

"I'm willing to help out a friend," Aang volunteered. "Katara?"

"If it prevents another war, I'll do it," Katara agreed. "We may need more help, though."

"It looks like Team Avatar's getting back together," Aang said excitedly.

"Oh, by the way," Pakku remembered, "if you're going to see Sokka, be sure to give him this from me." He handed the Avatar a package.

"Can you find the rest of the group?" Zuko asked.

"We can handle it," Aang assured him. "You should go back to the Fire Nation. They're probably waiting for you."

"Good luck," Zuko wished them. He and Mai then returned to their balloon and took off, while Aang and Katara said their goodbyes and began their trip on Appa.

**Kyoshi Island**

After a while of journeying, the two members of Team Avatar landed on Kyoshi Island. They were greeted by a flock of villagers. One familiar member of this crowd began whooping excitedly, then started to foam at the mouth and fainted. No one seemed surprised.

"Please, we just want to see the Kyoshi Warriors," Aang told the crowd. They parted, and he and Katara walked on to where the warriors trained. As they had expected, the warriors were in there, and so was Sokka.

"Aang! Katara!" he exclaimed upon seeing them. "What are you doing here?" After being told the situation, Sokka sighed.

"Well, you don't need me," he told them. "I lost my boomerang and my space sword, and now I'm just learning again how to use fans. You could use Suki, though." She and Ty Lee had come over during the explanation and heard everything.

"You're coming with us, whether you think you're useful or not," Katara ordered Sokka. "Oh, by the way, Pakku wanted us to give this to you." She handed him the package, which Sokka promptly ripped open. It contained a new boomerang. Sokka welled up with tears.

"He made me a new boomerang?" Sokka blubbered. "He really does care. All right, now that I have a new weapon, I'm ready to join you."

"And I'm coming too," Suki promised. "Ty Lee, you and the other Kyoshi Warriors stay here."

"But I can be lots of help," Ty Lee pointed out.

"That is true," Aang agreed. "All right, you can come too." Suki sighed and gave up making urgent gestures to suggest that this wasn't the best idea. They all loaded up and set off for their next destination.

**Omashu**

The gang arrived in Omashu to see a poster on one of the walls, promoting the first Earth Rumble tournament to take place in the city, hosted by none other than King Bumi, and taking place that afternoon. The group all gave each other quizzical looks, then headed towards where it would take place.

When they reached the underground arena, they were pretty impressed. King Bumi was cackling to himself in an announcer box that was studded with Jennomite, along with his pet Flopsie. The arena was large, a giant rectangle with the Earth Kingdom symbol in the center. The stands were filled up to the second row; the first row was vacated to avoid debris. One match of the tournament was just beginning; Toph was fighting against The Boulder, and winning clearly.

"Oh, and it looks like that humongous fellow is down for the count to the Blind Bandit," Bumi announced. "That must be humiliating." An official handed Toph the prize money and the belt.

As she and Bumi exited the arena, they were greeted by Team Avatar.

"Well, if it isn't my old friends," Bumi said. "Well, actually, my old friends are all scattered across the world, so I suppose it's my young friends!" Sokka laughed along with Bumi, but they were the only ones.

"What are you guys doing in Omashu?" Toph asked. She was told the whole story.

"Well, I guess I don't have much to do until the next tournament, so yeah, I'll go," Toph decided.

"And I'll ask around the city to see if anyone's seen Ursa," Bumi offered.

"Thanks, Bumi," Aang said.

While holding up his fist, Sokka exclaimed, "Yeah! Team Avatar is back together!"


	3. Chapter 3: The Western Air Temple Again

**Chapter 3: The Western Air Temple Revisited****  
**

**Fire Nation Capital**

Fire Lord Zuko returned to the palace with Mai, and was immediately given a status report by General Chang.

"My lord, some of the sentries we have placed at the border spotted a small group of ships being sent off by General Yang. Also, a party of confirmed Dai Li agents had set sail near the same place, aboard a small Earth Kingdom vessel. Aside from that, no further advancements have occurred on this war."

"Thank you, General Chang," Zuko said gratefully. "I can only assume the Dai Li agents are headed for Ba Sing Se to either get any more of their agents there might be or break out Long Feng from prison. I will have someone send a messenger hawk immediately to warn the prison guards in case there is an attempted breakout. But there are a lot of possibilities for what the other ships are doing. They could be trying to attack some inconsequential island, or recruit others to their cause, or find someone…." Zuko trailed off, having realized something.

"Zuko, what's wrong?" Mai asked with concern.

"They're trying to find my mother," he said softly. "They sent out a relatively small group, since they can't afford the manpower to send several different search parties. They must have learned what Dr. Jung found out about Azula, and since she was always a supporter of Ozai, they want her either as an asset or they just want Azula to lead them."

"This could be trouble for the Avatar," Mai pointed out. "If he doesn't know that the Fire Nation people looking for the same person aren't on their side, they could get ambushed hard. Can you send them a hawk?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Zuko said. "We don't know that these people will take the same route, or even encounter Aang at all. Sending them a hawk could give away their position."

"I would just hope that they can tell these traitors are just that," Chang said.

**The Western Air Temple**

Team Avatar had decided to first visit the Air Temples, since those would be remote locations where Ursa could have feasibly stayed or moved to. They looked at each other sadly to see that some of the exterior was badly damaged due to Azula's attack. But they pressed on, hoping that Ursa had recently moved to this location.

"All right, we should split up to cover more ground quickly," Aang suggested. "Maybe we should go in pairs so that we have backup in case there's trouble."

Before Suki could even open her mouth, Ty Lee had said, "I'm going with Sokka," and affixed herself firmly to him. Sokka himself looked a little uncomfortable, but just shrugged and gave Suki an apologetic smile.

"Um, and I'll go with Aang," Katara said, still a little freaked out.

"Guess that leaves me with Suki," Toph reasoned.

"OK, let's split up, Gaang," Sokka cried.

Later, Toph and Suki were walking through the Temple, checking in the rooms to see if Ursa was hidden there.

"So, you seem really upset lately," Toph pointed out. "What's going on?"

"Ty Lee," Suki sighed. "She's driving me crazy. I mean, she's a great warrior and all, but she always keeps flirting with Sokka. She just doesn't seem to get that he's with me."

"Have you tried publicly displaying your relationship?"

"You mean as in kissing him for about ten seconds in front of her face? I can tell you firsthand it doesn't work. Ursa's not here either." She slammed the door on yet another room.

Meanwhile, Aang and Katara found a room containing a giant Pai Sho table. To say this was a table would be inaccurate; it was more like a Pai Sho dance floor. To the sides of the playing field were Pai Sho tiles about three feet in diameter, made out of stone.

"Why did you bring us in here?" Katara asked. "It's a very interesting room, but I don't see anyplace Ursa could be hiding. Those stacks of tiles are right up against the walls."

"I just have a hunch about this place," Aang said. "It feels like someone wanted us to find our way here."

"Well, the White Lotus is out of a stack and leaning against the wall. Could that have something to do with the Order of the White Lotus? Maybe Ursa was a member."

"Well, according to Zuko, she was a good person. If she came across the Order while she was traveling, they could have seen her as a potential member and inducted her, especially if she had gained some wisdom from her travels."

"All right, so how would this room help us find her?"

"Well, I could put the White Lotus tile in the center of the board." He used Earthbending to move the rock tile to the center of the Pai Sho board. When it was there, the section of floor the tile was on depressed, and a rapid series of clicks could be heard coming from that spot. However, other than that, nothing happened.

Katara thought for a moment. "Maybe putting a different tile there will do something. Try one of these White Dragon tiles." Aang got the Lotus tile out of the ground and put it over against the wall again. He Earthbended the White Dragon tile a little before stopping.

"What's wrong?" Katara inquired.

"This one seems a lot lighter than the other tile," Aang said with a little confusion. Nevertheless, he Earthbended the tile onto the center of the board. The floor sank again, but visibly less than before. This time, there was only one click heard. Still, nothing else appeared to happen. Aang stepped onto the floor, and was surprised when the square he was standing on also sank a little with a click.

"Hey Katara, come stand on this," he asked of her. She did so, and the square sank some more. There were two more clicks. Aang looked and saw that there were little marks etched on the walls that held the square, presumably to measure how much it had depressed.

"All right, so there are specific levels that each square can depress," Aang reasoned. "I guess each kind of Pai Sho tile is made of a different kind of stone, so they each have different weight levels and press the floor in to a certain level."

"So we have to put the tiles in a specific arrangement to do something, kind of like a combination lock," Katara realized. "Who knows what'll happen, but at least we know what to do."

"Not really. There are millions of combinations for a Pai Sho board. How do we know which one is right?"

"I just remembered something Master Pakku told me recently about the Order of the White Lotus. He told me that members identify each other by playing games of Pai Sho, using a specific pattern of tiles for each rank of member. He taught me how to do it for his ranking. That seems as likely as anything."

"Just tell me what to do and I'll put the tiles where they need to go." He moved the White Dragon tile off the board.

"You start with the White Lotus tile in the center…." Katara began.

While the pair worked on the lead they had, Sokka and Ty Lee were searching through the halls to find Ursa herself.

"Um, you can let go now," Sokka reminded Ty Lee, who was still clinging to Sokka as if her life depended on it.

"Yeah, I know," she said, still not relinquishing her hold. "Your aura is just so bright and appealing."

"Uh… thanks?" Sokka said awkwardly. "So, where do you think Ursa might be?"

"I don't think she's even here. If you were just here, she probably won't have moved in recently. I would think we should check other places first, personally."

"You know, that is a good point. I don't know why Aang suggested we come here first in the first place. But, I guess we should search in all the rooms anyway, just in case. I mean, we're already here, so why not?" He opened another door with the hand that wasn't clamped to his side by Ty Lee's death grip. "Empty again."

Meanwhile, Aang was just setting the last tile in place.

"And that should be it." There were five clicks, and then part of the wall opposite the door slid upwards, revealing a hidden stairway. Katara and Aang looked at each other, then headed towards it, going around the Pai Sho floor so as not to disturb the combination.

When they had descended the stairs, they saw a meeting room for the Order of the White Lotus, with a full bookshelf, maps, Pai Sho tables of course, and a main round table with at least a dozen chairs around it. The main table, like the floor and the tapestry hung on the far wall, was decorated with a picture of a White Lotus tile. The tapestry had the symbols of the four nations added in as well, to symbolize the connection the society made between the elements. There was a note on the table. Katara picked it up and read:

"To Whom It May Concern:

I am Princess Ursa, formerly of the Fire Nation. I write this letter precisely one year before Sozin's Comet is to arrive and give the Firebenders extraordinary power. I wish to inform any other members of the White Lotus of my previous presence here, and that I plan to move on to another remote location, continuing my four-year nomadic existence throughout the world. I have left indications of my stays in most of the other places I have visited over the years, in hopes that my son can find me again after his banishment during his search for the Avatar."

Katara looked over at Aang.

"Well, that proves it," he said excitedly. "She was here, and we could follow her trail. If we can find out where she's stayed more recently than this, maybe we could find a pattern."

"We've got to tell the others," Katara decided. She took the note and put it away. "If we need this later, for some kind of clue, we'll have it. And in case the rebellion Zuko told us about somehow gets down here, they won't find it to be able to capture her."

The pair of them went back up the staircase, then Aang Earthbended all the tiles into stacks again to erase the pattern. Instantly, the wall came down again, sealing the meeting room. They met up with Toph and Suki after going a ways down the corridor, and then with Sokka and Ty Lee, who had to be pried off of Sokka by Suki.

"So we have some evidence she was here?" Sokka asked to confirm.

"Yes, and if we get to more places she's been, we'll have our trail," Katara said with a bit of enthuiasm. "Now that we've got what we need from here, though, it's time to leave." And on that, they departed on Appa, going in one direction as Fire Nation soldiers came in behind them, prepared to search every inch of the temple.

**Fire Nation Capital**

Fire Lord Zuko stepped out in front of the crowd, who had been clamoring for him to give a statement about the war.

"Citizens of the Fire Nation," Zuko began, "I know the road to reach a time of harmony was long and hard, and that it would seem only fair that we have peace after such a long conflict. But unfortunately, the ideals of my father seem to have become popular amongst my generals. But if we unite to stop this threat before another war can begin, we CAN have a time of peace and happiness. All I ask of you is that you give me your support, and urge your friends and family to do the same. I know that you haven't had much time to get to know if I am a capable leader, but I can assure you that I will do all that I can to protect the nation and the world. If it does come to another war, I will attempt to end it as quickly and decisively as possible. The Fire Nation has been ripped apart by war and strife over the last hundred years, and I don't want it any more damaged. Please trust me."

The crowd gathered began to slowly clap for this speech, then applauded more enthusiastically. Zuko sighed in relief. It seemed that some of the people believed in him.


	4. Chapter 4: Old Faces

**Chapter 4: Old Faces**

**Fire Nation**

Zuko stood on the small island near the capital along with a newly hired warden, examining the new building that had been constructed. It was a tall metal tower, built in the same manner as the asylum section of the Fire Nation prison, for good reason.

"So, this is the new mental health facility?" Zuko said questioningly.

"Yes, this is it," the warden confirmed. "Now that we can vacate part of the prison, it can hold more of the traitors following General Yang."

"Good, very good," Zuko said. "Have the transfers begin immediately, starting with my sister."

"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko," the warden said, snapping to attention.

**The Northern Air Temple**

Team Avatar had headed to the Northern Air Temple to check for Ursa there, and landed to see the Mechanist and Teo.

"Aang, how are you?" the Mechanist asked pleasantly. "What brings you here?"

"Well, we're looking for a woman named Ursa who used to be from the Fire Nation," Aang explained. "Do you know anything about her?"

"Well, she isn't here now, but I think she was here around two years ago," the Mechanist recalled. "She left a while later, but she did carve her name into one of the pillars. I could show it to you, if you like. I don't think there's anything dangerous there, just a few gliders." He led them to a room held up by a dozen or so columns about six feet in diameter, one of which had URSA carved into it. There was also a small White Lotus symbol hidden inside the R.

"Well, if you need anything else, just call," the Mechanist reminded them before leaving the room.

"Well, we know she was here before she went to the Western Air Temple," Sokka said encouragingly. "I guess we can go now, but that was short."

"No, wait," Aang said, pointing at the White Lotus symbol. "Why would this be here? It looks too intricate to be carved here by Ursa. I mean, her name is crooked, and the symbol is perfect. Was she hiding something?"

"Hey, there's an outline of a square here," Katara pointed out on the other side of the pillar. "Maybe it's a secret compartment." Aang pressed the symbol, and on the other side, the square popped open. There was another note.

"It's exactly the same as the first note," Sokka pointed out, "but it says that it's two years before Sozin's Comet. That doesn't tell us anything that we didn't already know."

"Well, except that she was a member of the Order of the White Lotus at least two years ago."

"So where to next?" Sokka asked Aang. "Should we go all the way to the Southern Air Temple and see if she was there after the Western Air Temple?"

"No, I think we should go to the Eastern Air Temple first," Aang decided. "If she was at the Southern Air Temple less than a year ago, maybe she'll have moved there recently."

"That would be smart," Sokka admitted. "All right, sounds good."

"So we're leaving already?" Toph said in surprise. "We just got here."

"She's right," Suki pointed out. "Maybe we should spend the night here, then continue on in the morning."

"Fine with me," Aang agreed. "We're staying the night then."

**Ba Sing Se Prison**

Long Feng sat in his cell, dreaming up ways to pay Azula and the Dai Li back for their betrayal. Five guards stood outside his cell, ready in case of an attack. Or, rather, looking like they were ready in case of an attack. When the pack of Dai Li agents swarmed the miserable few guards, they surrendered immediately, handing the Earthbending traitors the keys to Long Feng's cell.

"You're wanted to assist us in taking down the Fire Nation under Fire Lord Zuko," one of the agents informed him as he unlocked the cell.

"By whom?" Long Feng asked.

"General Yang of the true Fire Nation," another agent replied. "Are you in?"

"Certainly. They will need my help." He walked out with the Dai Li.

**Earth Kingdom Pier**

In a familiar shop in an out-of-the-way pier in the Earth Kingdom, another pair of Dai Li agents had docked their boat and were speaking to a pirate captain with a lizard-parrot on his shoulder.

"So, you want me to work for Ozai's men again, undermining the peace that's been worked for these last hundred years?"

"Yes, for a good sum."

"I'll do it."

**The Northern Air Temple**

The next morning, the Air Temple was under attack. The party of about twenty ships were bombarding the current occupants, who were admittedly doing a pretty good job. Some of the people were flying around on the Mechanist's gliders, making bombing runs on the ships. Most of them missed, but Teo dropped a bomb that was a direct hit on one of the ships, not only damaging the ship badly, but also covering it completely in peanut sauce.

One officer in charge of a ship had disembarked along with his crew, and had Sokka by the front of his shirt.

"Tell me, where is Ursa?" he demanded.

"She's not here," Sokka said frantically. "She's not here, I'm telling you the truth!"

"Liar!" the officer shouted in his face. "She must be here, otherwise your friends wouldn't be trying so hard to get rid of us!" He indicated what was apparently his ship, which was immediately hit by a peanut sauce bomb in just the right place and sank. He looked to see it just before it was fully submerged, then turned into the perfect example of over-the-top shock. Sokka took this opportunity to grab his boomerang and whack the guy upside the head. He collapsed, and Sokka ran to help out Suki and Ty Lee, who were fighting back to back against a group of soldiers.

Toph sent a boulder flying at one of the ships, which buckled. One of the gliders was hit, and it and the rider crashed into Toph, who couldn't see it coming. She was instantly surrounded by some of the Fire Nation henchmen, but she got rid of them by using rock spikes to launch them back into their ship.

Katara and Aang were using Waterbending to push the ships back further from the temple, but they just kept coming back. They summoned a giant wave, about to flood the whole group of ships, when the leader of Yang's men sounded the retreat. Katara and Aang gently brought the wave back into the ocean, letting the ships escape.

"Did they follow us here?" Suki asked, not expecting anyone to have an answer.

"Who knows?" Sokka burst out. "The most important thing is, they're looking for Ursa too. One of them was demanding to know where she was."

"I thought the Fire Nation was all right under Zuko," the Mechanist said in confusion.

"Some of them are planning an uprising," Aang explained. "It's complicated, but that's what brought us here. I think we're going to have to leave quickly in order to get to the Eastern Air Temple before the rebels do. Thank you for your help, and I'm sorry it caused you to get attacked."

"I was happy to help," the Mechanist assured them. "Good luck on your adventure!"

Team Avatar took off on Appa, heading for their next destination; the Eastern Air Temple.

**Fire Nation Mental Health Facility**

Fire Lord Zuko watched from the mainland as the insane were brought into the new mental clinic. He saw bursts of blue fire erupt from the island, and sorrow filled his eyes.

"Aang… please find her," he murmured to himself.


	5. Chapter 5: Unexpected Visitors

**Chapter 5: Unexpected Visitors**

**Fire Nation Capital**

Fire Lord Zuko sat at his throne in the war room, with all his generals there as well. Most of them were young and recently promoted, due to the great numbers of Fire Nation military that had deserted.

"Your Majesty, the numbers of General Yang's forces are diminishing. It seems that people are beginning to listen to your rule."

"Good. Now, what happened to the Dai Li agents that had set out before?"

"Our scouts spotted them returning with Long Feng, and apparently a band of pirates. It still isn't enough to make up for the double deserters."

"We're prepared to attack the rebels when they do, correct?"

"Yes, my lord."

**The Eastern Air Temple**

Guru Pathik sat at the edge of the temple, meditating, when he heard Appa and opened one eye. Upon seeing Team Avatar landing in his vicinity, he stood up to greet them.

"Aang, how are you?" he asked, shaking his hand.

"Fine, it's good to see you," Aang responded. "We have a job we need to do now, though. Have you seen someone called Ursa here lately?"

"Not lately, but she was here a few years ago," Pathik recalled, stroking his beard. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, Fire Lord Zuko asked us to find her, and he's a good friend of ours," Aang explained. "Is there anything here that has to do with Pai Sho or the White Lotus tile?"

"Well, I'm a member of the Order of the White Lotus, if that's what you mean," Pathik said with a smile. "In fact, it was because of me that Ursa became a member."

"So that explains how she's a member," Sokka mused. "Do you mind if we stay here for the night? We should stay here to see if she ends up coming here."

"It's a huge temple," Pathik reminded him, spreading his arms wide. "Do what you like."

That night, the gang slept in the temple, up in the higher levels. They awoke at the sound of someone yelling in frustration and what sounded like a boat landing. Fearing another attack, they rushed out to see a lone boat, only built for one, up on shore, with a young Fire Nation man walking along the beach. The group hurried down the temple to intercept him.

The Fire Nation man looked up at the temple, and saw a lit lamp where Team Avatar had been just moments before. He gasped, and started to run towards the source, but he was suddenly stopped by a flying air kick from Aang. He was thrown backwards, and he landed hard, his helmet coming off. He was clean-shaven, which seemed odd for someone in the Fire Nation military. The rest of the gang showed up just then, as he propped himself up on his elbow, clutching the back of his head and groaning.

"Who are you?" Katara demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm Xu," the man told them. "The rest of my ship went to the Earth Kingdom to search for that Ursa lady, but I thought it would make sense to check here."

"So you are working for Yang," Sokka deduced, pointing his new boomerang accusingly.

"Well, yes," Xu admitted. "My dad was in the army, and I was old enough, so…. Wait a minute, why am I telling you any of this? I need to get back to the rest of my group."

"Oh, no you don't," said Ty Lee, and she promptly disabled him. He managed to turn his head to look at her.

"Have we met before?" he asked. "I'm sure I've seen you somewhere. Oh, I've got it now. Ember Island. At Chan's party. A whole crowd of us were grouped around you."

"Did I…"

"Yep, couldn't move my arm for a week," Xu said with no trace of resentment. Oddly enough, there was a sort of pride in how he said it. "And I still wanted to know who you were after that." Ty Lee blushed a little, but Toph interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, but that was a while ago," she said. "Now you're our enemy. You're not going anywhere."

"Toph's right," Aang agreed. "You can't report back to your superiors. If they know Ursa's not here, they'll have a lead on us. We have to take you as a hostage."

"Hey, as long as this girl's my captor, I won't be moving a muscle," Xu assured him. He gave a snort of amusement. "For more than one reason, actually."

**Fire Nation Capital**

Zuko entered Mai's room. When he did, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"So, how's your war coming?" she asked.

"It's actually looking good for us," Zuko said. "Even without Azula in the picture, we're convincing some people to stay loyal to me."

"Good," Mai said without any real emotion. "You know, I've been thinking. I should really go find the other guys trying to find your mom. I'm not being any use here, and that would really get the group back together."

"I think that would be great if you could find them," Zuko pointed out. "How are you going to figure out where they are?"

"Well, it would figure if they were halfway around the world," Mai mused. "I'll go west to the Eastern Air Temple, and they'll probably be there."

"Take a couple guards with you, in case some of Yang's forces are there," Zuko urged.

"Yeah, sure," she responded casually, giving him another kiss and leaving for the airship hangar.

**The Eastern Air Temple**

Aang and the gang awoke again at the sound of Mai's airship landing, thinking it was another group of loners.

"How many people left your ship again?" Sokka said to Xu incredulously.

"Look, I was the only one who left that I know of," Xu said defensively. Ty Lee watched the airship land, and brightened to see who was disembarking.

"It's Mai!" she shouted, leaning out of the window everyone was crowded around and waving. Mai looked up and saw her, waving in return.

"You were lucky that wasn't some of your friends," Sokka reminded Xu. Team Avatar went down to greet their own friend.

"Mai, it's so good to see you," Ty Lee said happily, crushing her in a hug.

"How did you find us?" Suki wondered.

"I figured you'd be in the least convenient place to reach from the capital, so I just headed here," she explained. "So, are you cool with me joining you guys to find Zuko's mom?"

"Sure," Aang agreed. Mai then noticed Xu.

"Who's he?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"An unimportant captive named Xu," the person in question spoke up. "Don't worry, I probably won't be here long before I'm handed over to Yang's other guys."

"OK, whatever," Mai said unconcernedly.

**Fire Nation Capital**

Iroh stared up at the building that was the palace, probably remembering past events here, and went in. When he entered the war room, Zuko gave him a look of surprise. The other generals murmured among themselves about Iroh's past achievements.

"Uncle, what are you doing here?" Zuko asked.

"I thought you might need the support of an old general to help you get through this conflict," Iroh said with a smile, taking a seat next to the throne.

"What about the Jasmine Dragon?" Zuko inquired.

"Oh, I got some old friends to help with that," Iroh dismissed with a wave of his hand.

**The Jasmine Dragon**

Fung, the old man that had helped Iroh and Zuko escape from Master Yu and Xin Fu, stood at the counter of the Jasmine Dragon.

"Your order will be ready soon, sir," he told the man there. "Order coming back!" He slid a piece of paper with the order on it back to where Master Piandao was cutting ingredients for the tea with his swords. He read it, then finished making the batch, which contained six cups of the same brew. He balanced them all on his swords, then yelled, "Jeong Jeong! Heads up!" He flicked his swords up so the tea flew into the air, then landed perfectly on a tray, not a single drop spilled. Jeong Jeong smirked, picked up the tray, and lit a fire under it to heat the tea. He then brought it to the table that the man had just sat down at with his party of six.

"I hope you find this tea satisfactory while Iroh is away," he said with a small bow.


	6. Chapter 6: The Trouble with Trust

**Chapter 6: The Trouble with Trust**

**The Eastern Air Temple**

Team Avatar was still at the temple in the morning, deciding to stay a little longer to rest from last night's excitement. Ty Lee was still watching over Xu in her room.

"So, I was wondering," said Xu. "I'm supposed to be your prisoner, and yet you aren't keeping me restrained."

"Well, with seven people ready to attack you if you try to escape, you don't really need to be," Ty Lee shrugged. "Besides, you're forgetting that Suki did tie you up for the night."

"Oh yeah, how did I forget that?" said Xu in surprise. "I'm standing there, and then I blink and I'm tied up against the wall."

Ty Lee giggled. "She is good at that."

"You know, I really do like you. In fact, I would willingly work with you until this is all over if you'd go on a date with me after we're back home."

"You're not serious?" laughed Ty Lee. "I can't be that pretty."

"No, I am being serious," frowned Xu. "And I would argue that second point, but it's not just your looks. You've got a great personality and really sweet moves. What's not to like? I'm completely sincere, I would join you in your quest if that meant bringing down General Yang myself."

"I'm sorry, but I just can't trust you. I mean, I only really met you last night when we attacked you."

"You've got a point there…. Look, I'll try to prove it to you. Please try to believe me."

**Rebellion HQ**

General Yang was approached by a trembling lower-ranking loyalist.

"And so some of us are suggesting that surrender may be the best option," the quivering man was saying.

"Colonel, I appreciate your concern, but everything is going according to plan," General Yang assured him. He was sitting on a sort of throne, with his fingertips pressed together. "Surrender was never an option. I am aware that a good deal of our forces seem to be leaving, but rest assured, my own generals are quite aware of my plan. Perhaps I could fill you in.

"From the beginning, I had thought that outright announcing ourselves traitors to the new Fire Lord and then building up our armies would be quite backwards. Normally, one would build up an army in secret, then stage a takeover at the right moment. Once I saw Zuko's reign as Fire Lord begin, however, I realized that he would not suspect that what we were doing was out of the ordinary. So, I formed a more complex plan. We declared our separation from Zuko's reign, and began forming an army, as you know. Then, as Fire Lord Zuko pleaded for his citizens' trust, I sent some agents that I knew would pass his tests to go back to him and weave convincing stories, to become spies. Naturally, we did legitimately lose soldiers, but there were more that came back still secretly in league with me. We will continue to feed our agents back into the false Fire Nation, until perhaps only I and those not from the Fire Nation appear to be left. Then, Zuko will either lose interest or capture me. If the former, I will wait for a good time to strike. If the latter, I'll give the order for a coup as soon as I am in his sight. I and probably my captors will kidnap the Fire Lord, and we shall be victorious."

"I… I had no idea," the colonel said in shock. "Shall I inform the others?"

"No, I don't think so," Yang said slowly. "If word gets out and some actually defect from us for real, Zuko could get wind of this and conduct further investigations. Also, if you become a traitor, one of my agents will be forced to terminate you."

"I understand, sir."

**Fire Nation Asylum**

Dr. Jung strode past the now-filled rows of prisoners, ignoring their usual noise. He did make a few notes when he noticed that it was 2:14 and the yodeler hadn't realized it. He then came to his now-usual position at the cell of Azula. One of his colleagues, also hired by Fire Lord Zuko, sat at the same cell, watching as if scrutinizing a particularly deep work of art.

"How goes it, Dr. Fue?"

"She's been alternately raging and crying for the past half hour," Dr. Fue said calmly. "Also, she's been talking to herself about her mother."

"She has been able to speak, then?" Dr. Jung asked for confirmation.

"Oh, she will not speak to me, only during what I can only assume are hallucinations," said Dr. Fue. "What have your studies shown you?"

"Not much, other than what we have already determined," Dr. Jung said sadly. "I believe that the only progress that can be made will come with the return of her mother."

"Then what is the point of us being here?" Dr. Fue said with frustration.

"Come now, this is like a race towards sanity," Dr. Jung said with a wave of his hand.

Azula sat at the edge of her cot, sobbing. She then looked up to see her mother standing a few feet away.

"Mother?" she said hopefully. "Can you forgive me?"

"I'm coming, Azula," the vision of Ursa said. "Hold on a little longer."

"No, you're here now," Azula said, standing up and going to put her hand on her mother's shoulder. But her hand passed through, and the vision vanished. Azula broke down again and lay on the bed.

**The Eastern Air Temple**

The Gaang was preparing to leave for the Southern Air Temple, to complete the circle. Ty Lee had just come forward with Xu's suggestion to her earlier, having thought it over.

"Are you nuts?" Sokka burst out, flailing his arms to emphasize the point. "The only thing we know about the guy is that he was working for General Yang."

"Sokka's right, Ty Lee," Katara concurred. "It took us a while to trust Zuko… especially me. I think that even before we consider this, we should give it some time. Hey, you never know, he could turn out to be a great guy, but we don't know that yet."

"We'll have him travel with us for a while, but keep a close eye on him," Aang suggested. "If it looks like he's going to betray us, we'll dump him at the nearest location."

"That sounds pretty reasonable," Toph agreed. "It'll give us a great chance to have a little fun with him, too."

A little later, they were ready to leave.

"I think I should go on the airship with Mai and Ty Lee, for Appa's sake," said Xu nervously. Toph gave a demonic grin.

"No, no," she said, the grin spreading. "You're going to go on Appa." Xu gulped. Toph turned to Aang. "You know, I don't think Appa has done enough fancy maneuvering lately."

"You know, I think you're right, Toph," Aang said, a smile curling his face as well. "We should give him a chance to do that soon." Xu made a whimpering noise.

**Route to the Southern Air Temple**

Xu tried desperately to hang on to Appa as he twirled and looped through the sky. Somehow, it didn't seem to bother the other members of Team Avatar, who merely kept a tight grip and a cool head. Aang was enjoying the ride; Xu was enjoying the fact that he hadn't fallen off yet. The airship barely kept up with Appa's blinding speeds, gaining lost ground when he did a loop-de-loop or a sudden dive.

"How're you holding up back there?" Aang asked the other members of his crew.

"Am I the only one who fears for his life here?" Xu questioned, clinging on by one hand as the rest of him trailed behind like the tail on a kite.

"Look, there's the temple," Sokka announced, pointing towards the ruin. Aang looked a little disheartened to see it again, remembering what had happened when they were last there.

"With the pattern we have, there's no way Ursa's not here," Suki said confidently.

"But with the luck we have, she won't be here," said Katara. "We just need to search for a sign, or her if we're lucky." They landed, Xu falling flat on the ground in celebration of being solidly on land again… or perhaps because the journey left him absolutely drained. In a few moments, the airship had landed too, Mai and Ty Lee exiting.

"We'll split up into pairs again," Aang decided. "I'll go with Katara again."

Ty Lee was about to say something, when Suki interjected, "No way, I'm with Sokka this time." Ty Lee looked disappointed, but wordlessly threw her arm around Mai's shoulders instead.

"So I'm stuck with the leftovers again?" Toph complained.

"Actually, I was thinking you should go alone," Katara recommended. "The Firebenders running the airship can guard Xu while we're gone."

"Sounds good to me," shrugged Toph, and they went their separate ways. Xu pulled himself up into a sitting position, and watched the guards come out of the ship.

"…So…. How's your day going?" Xu began conversationally.

Notes: I forgot to mention this in previous chapters, but this story was originally posted on Toon Zone's Story Board. Check it out in all its original, I-didn't-bother-to-edit glory here: .?t=214105. Chapter delays until Chapter 10 are either due to my laziness or that I'm still editing the chapters, or both.


	7. Chapter 7: The Attack

**Chapter 7: The Attack**

**The Southern Air Temple**

Several of General Yang's ships landed near the temple. Their crews disembarked and began to climb up towards the summit to search the temple.

Meanwhile, Aang and Katara weren't having much luck.

"It looks like she's not here," Aang admitted. "We've looked through a lot of the temple, and haven't found her, or even anything related to the Order of the White Lotus."

"Well, maybe someone else has found a lead," Katara said hopefully.

Unfortunately, they hadn't. No one had found anything other than empty rooms and a couple of skeletons. Mai and Ty Lee were at the base of the temple when they saw Yang's men reach where they were. Most of them were around the base in other places, so they went unnoticed, but there were nine around the girls. Five of them ran into the temple, and Mai followed them. The other four circled Ty Lee, and eventually struck. Quickly, they each seized one of her limbs and held her off the ground.

"All right, let's take her back to the ship as our prisoner," one of them suggested.

Xu was leaning against a rock when he heard a commotion near where Mai and Ty Lee were. He turned to one of the guards.

"Do you have a telescope somewhere?" he asked. The guard tossed one to him. He caught it and looked down at the base of the temple to see Ty Lee being captured by Fire Nation forces.

"Ty Lee's in trouble," he informed the guards. "I'm going down there."

"We can't let you do that," one of them said. "We were ordered to guard you."

"Did I mention that I'm a Firebender, too?" said Xu, going into a fighting stance. "Don't make me try to take on all of you. I think I have a small chance, but not in time to save Ty Lee from being carted off to their ship."

The guards looked at each other. "All right, go ahead," the one said reluctantly. Xu began running towards the spot.

Sokka and Suki had also seen the men getting up to where they were.

"We won't be able to outrun them," Sokka reasoned.

"Wasn't planning on it," Suki responded, getting back-to-back with Sokka. Yang's men instantly shot fire at the pair of them, who dodged them well. Sokka took out a few of them with his boomerang, and Suki did excellently with her fans. Eventually, though, two of them shot bursts of fire that got past Suki's defenses and hit her directly in the chest and stomach. She cried out and fell to the ground; Sokka gasped and turned around. He threw his boomerang again, which caught two Firebenders in the head. As he knelt down to help Suki, the boomerang curved and struck a few more of them.

As the rebels closed in, Sokka's boomerang hit himself in the head, and he fell onto Suki. The loyalists laughed at his stupidity, then left to check other parts of the temple. As soon as they were out of sight, Sokka sprang back up from his feigned injury and examined Suki's.

Toph sensed Yang's men before they got into the room she was in, and indeed they never did get in. Toph simply flung the metal door off its frame and onto the wall so it knocked the Firebenders against the wall, rendering them unconscious. She then moved the door back into place and sealed it.

"Ursa's not in here," she informed the rebels. "Besides, you're not going to get in anyway."

Aang and Katara, despite being at the top of the temple, found themselves surrounded by more Firebenders than any of the others. That was all right, though, since one of them was the Avatar. Katara sent some water flying out of her pouch, to knock several Firebenders straight off the edge. Aang tried not to think about what would happen to his victims as he launched more of their enemies with Earthbending. Before long, all their adversaries were either unconscious or somewhere down the side of the temple/mountain, or both.

"That was too easy," Katara said warily.

"If you can think of a number of Firebending goons that would pose a problem for us, let me know," said Aang.

Xu caught up with the foursome carrying off Ty Lee before they reached their ship.

"Drop her," he commanded. "Or you'll wake up in the middle of the ocean with numerous burns."

"You can't beat all four of us," one of them scoffed. "Come and make us drop her."

"So we're fighting right now?" Xu asked loudly. "No holding back?"

"Yeah, we are," the same one said confidently. "No holding back. Come on."

Xu laughed and shot a burst of flame at the one who had spoken. He happened to be in front, holding Ty Lee's leg. He only realized his mistake as the fireball had nearly reached him. He was forced to let go of Ty Lee's leg in order to deflect the flame. She used this opportunity to knock out the goon holding her other leg with a well-aimed kick, then got on her feet. She flipped the two Firebenders holding her arms over, flooring them, then went ahead and disabled the last man.

"You can thank me later," Xu said, running towards where Mai had disappeared.

"I knocked out all of Yang's men," Ty Lee reminded him, keeping up. "But you did give me the chance. Thanks."

Mai loosed a stiletto that pinned the last of the rebels to the wall. The others were struggling against other throwing weapons, stuck to the walls or floor. One of them had managed to get thrown onto the ceiling and was now hanging from his feet, his face turning purple.

"Need any help?" Xu asked unnecessarily as he ran in with Ty Lee.

"Not really," said Mai, turning around. "And aren't you supposed to be with the airship pilots?"

"He just helped me escape from Yang's men," Ty Lee explained. "So, am I the only one who thinks we should go help out the others?"

"Good point," said Xu, once again speeding off towards the exit.

Sokka checked Suki's burn wound. It looked bad, the skin charred.

"I… I don't know what to do for this," Sokka admitted. "I can at least try to fix up minor burns, but this looks bad. I need Katara." He yelled out her name in hopes that she would hear him and come to Suki's aid. Meanwhile, he told Suki, "She's going to come, I'm sure of it. You're safe."

"I know I'm safe," said Suki weakly, putting her head as close to Sokka as she could. "You're here with me." Sokka squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back tears, as he could do nothing but wait.

Toph turned around as she saw Xu, Mai, and Ty Lee crash through the window of the room she was in.

"How did you get up here?" she asked.

"Never mind that, are you OK?" Xu said dismissively.

"Nobody's managed to get in," said Toph proudly. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be…."

"I know, I know," said Xu, annoyed. "I'm on your side now, I told you before."

Katara heard Sokka calling for her, and turned to Aang.

"We'd better go see what's the matter," she said, not realizing how reduntant it was to say it. The two of them set off for where Sokka and Suki were.

They arrived just as Xu, Ty Lee, and Mai did. Suki was in bad shape, although not all that much worse than before, while Sokka was crying and turned somewhat away.

"Katara," Sokka sighed with relief when he looked up. "Thank goodness you're here. Suki…" He gestured to her.

"Sokka, those are really bad burns," said Katara with concern. "I can try to heal them, but…."

"If there's any chance, please try anything," Sokka pleaded. Katara nodded and got to work.


	8. Chapter 8: The Reveal

**Chapter 8: The Reveal**

**The Southern Air Temple**

The rest of the Gaang had retreated to another room so Katara could work on healing Suki. Sokka's face was buried in his hands, while Toph and Ty Lee tried to console him. Mai and Xu were sitting in silence, and Aang was pacing back and forth.

"Aang, would you please sit down?" Xu said testily. "There's no point in getting nervous."

"No point?" Aang replied, also sounding testy. "If Katara can't heal Suki…. And what do you care? You didn't know her yesterday!"

"True, but I would still grieve with the rest of you," said Xu. "Right now, though, all we can do is wait." This did not have any effect on Aang, who continued to pace.

After a few minutes, Katara came into the room, her expression unreadable. The silence was impenetrable.

"She's fine," said Katara in relief, now smiling. "She probably shouldn't be in a fight like that for a while, but she should recover." Sokka relaxed, and so did everyone else in the room. Xu let loose a little tension no one had noticed was there.

"Like I told you, nothing to worry about," said Xu, smirking as he got up and left to see Suki.

**Fire Nation Capital**

"Fire Lord Zuko, General Yang has virtually no supporters," General Chang said brightly. "He stands nearly alone in rebellion against you."

"Very good," said Zuko appreciatively. "Send in my men to capture him. And bring him before me."

**Rebellion HQ**

General Yang sat in the vast room in which he had revealed his plan to the colonel. He was literally alone, since he had sent off all his other subjects to infiltrate the palace. The doors were thrown wide as Zuko's soldiers marched in to arrest Yang. He threw his hands over his head, but there was a small smile hidden in his face as he was arrested.

**Near the Southern Air Temple**

Yang's other men, who had attacked the Southern Air Temple, were returning to their ships.

"How are the damages?" the captain asked of a soldier making notes on a clipboard.

"Well, sir, things don't look very good," the soldier admitted. "We lost about ten percent of our search party out there, and a good half are injured. We should have enough men to crew the ships, but we should stay out of the Avatar's path from now on."

"Do you know the status of my son, Xu?" Captain Lang asked. "We were on different ships and I haven't heard from him. Is he all right?"

"I'll check, sir," the clipboard man said. He scanned his clipboard. "Well, he hasn't been brought in yet, but he might still be out there. He could also have slipped past without me noticing." He pulled aside another officer. "Lieutenant, do you remember being in the company of one Xu?"

"Yes, but he apparently left one night and we haven't heard from him since," the lieutenant reported.

"Well, Captain, it looks like your son is missing," the soldier said. "I'll let you know if we find him." Lang thought for a moment.

"No," he said slowly. "I have a better idea. He'll have followed the Avatar in the boat. He must have been captured. Set a course to follow the Avatar as well, wherever they go."

"But sir…"

"Who commands this party?"

"You do, sir, but…."

"Who has ordered you to follow the Avatar?"

"You have, sir."

"So what do you think you should do?"

"…Follow the Avatar, sir."

"Good man."

**The Earth Kingdom, Not Ba Sing Se**

A woman with her hat pulled low walked through the streets of the city. It was Princess Ursa.

"I'm just glad Ba Sing Se is safe again," one passerby said to his wife.

"Indeed," she replied. "Now that Fire Lord Zuko's in command of the Fire Nation, things are looking up for the world." Ursa paused, then continued on her way, smiling.

**The Southern Air Temple**

Suki was bandaged but healing, and the Gaang were deciding where to go next.

"We only have one real option, don't we?" said Sokka, pointing at the center of the map they had laid out. "We need to search the Earth Kingdom now. But where should we start?"

"Ba Sing Se?" suggested Katara. "Iroh is there, maybe she's got contact with him."

"I doubt he wouldn't let Zuko know, though," Sokka pointed out. Looking at the map, he reconsidered. "Although, we have no way of knowing any of this. I agree, we should go to Ba Sing Se, either to see if Iroh has heard anything or to head off Ursa."

Soon, the team was all set to go. They flew off toward the Earth Kingdom, pursued by the captain's ships.

**Fire Nation Capital**

General Yang chuckled as he was brought before Fire Lord Zuko. That laughter sent a chill down Zuko's spine, but he couldn't quite place why. Perhaps it was because it was so calm, so sure of itself.

"Why, my lord, you don't look so well," Yang remarked casually. The two guards holding him tightened their grip. They were very excellent actors. Yang continued. "Have you finally figured it out?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko demanded. He had meant to sound confident, but a note of wavering uncertainty had slipped in somehow. Again, that unnerving chuckle came from Yang's throat.

"You never won," he stated. "I always had the upper hand. Even though you didn't realize it, I was winning. Did you ever suspect that this was too easy? If you didn't, I am severely disappointed. Blood doesn't mean everything, I suppose."

Zuko frowned. "You don't mean you planned to lose?"

"He finally understands," laughed Yang. "You were a fool. Lock the doors." The two guards dropped the general and closed the doors, bolting them shut.

"They're working for you?" Zuko burst out, taken aback.

"Seize him," Yang commanded quietly. All the guards around Zuko turned on him, poised to strike. Zuko analyzed the situation, then raised his hands in defeat. He shivered once more as Yang laughed, the sound ringing through the throne room.

"This room is very well designed," he commented. "Two-inch thick metal walls, and no glass. It's practically inescapable. No one can help you now. I will have you killed, then throw open the door and take what's left of your army. The Fire Nation will be mine."

That was the precise moment that the two inches of metal wall buckled under Iroh's attack.

**Ba Sing Se**

Ursa, placing a hand on the famous wall, marveled at the Earth Kingdom's ingenuity. To think she had never decided to hide in this city! She walked through the streets, fingering her White Lotus tile. She looked in her bag. There was hardly any money. She sighed, realizing that this would mean another bout of remembering old codes and phrases. It was time to have some tea.

Meanwhile, high above the city, the wall, and Ursa, Appa streaked across the sky. He took a steep dive and came in for a surprisingly smooth landing outside the Jasmine Dragon. The passengers departed, calmly walking into the shop.

Aang accidentally bumped his shoulder against a woman's.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said quickly, unable to see upwards of her nose under her hat.

"Respect is a virtue few value in these times," the stranger remarked.

Sokka cut in. "And so is hospitality. But one of our good friends owns this shop. We would love to offer you something. Perhaps an intellectual challenge?" he offered, flipping the White Lotus tile Piandao gave him into the air.

"What the heck are you doing?" Toph hissed, pulling Sokka down to her level by the ear.

"You know, I'm just making it up as I go along," Sokka whispered.

The mysterious woman accompanied the Gaang into the tea shop, only vaguely knowing they both wanted the same thing.

**Fire Nation Capital**

"Zuko," Iroh panted, "the guards are mutinying. Several of your loyal generals have been captured, and I just got away." He just then noticed General Yang had swiftly crossed behind Zuko and put two fingers to his temple. The guards turned to face Iroh.

"As you can see, old man, I'm in control now," Yang laughed. "The Dragon of the West, helpless as his nephew is a hostage. You've lost. There's no one who can help you now. Seize him." A dozen soldiers surrounded Iroh, while four more repaired the damage to the wall.

**The Jasmine Dragon**

The mysterious stranger, now revealed as Ursa, looked down at the pattern that had been created on the Pai Sho board.

"You're far too young to know this," she said, puzzled and cocking her head to one side. "Who taught you this combination?"

"Does that matter?" Sokka said, waving the question away. "Your son Zuko sent us to find you, we explained that. What we need to do now is get you back to the Fire Nation so that we can try to heal Azula and stop the impending crisis that spells out doom for the world!!!" At this point, he stopped to catch his breath.

"I don't think it's quite that serious," Suki apologized, giving a sideways glance at Sokka.

"I never said I wouldn't do it," Ursa said calmly. "I have wanted to come home for years, so I could see my son again. So that we could be a family again. Get me transport and I'll take it."

Suddenly, there was an outburst from another table. A man had just cried out in shock, reading a message the hawk still perched on the table had delivered.

"Oh no!" the man cried, looking at his wife. "Li says there's been an outbreak of fighting at the capital. He's fleeing the city!" The Gaang looked at each other in shock as a dramatic chord played.

"Would you stop that racket, this is serious," the man's wife shouted at a horn player, who backed away with his instrument lowered. "Now what else did Li say?"

"He can't afford a ferry, so he's laying low in the country," the man went on. "He says there's only FIVE MEN LEFT ALIVE!" The Gaang recoiled in horror. "Oh, sorry," he said, squinting at the paper, "he said five men dead. Still a grim prospect."

"We're going to need to hurry," Sokka concluded.

**Fire Nation Capital**

General Chang, fighting Yang's forces, sneered as he let loose another fireball.

"I thought this was over," he screamed at his opponents, knocking them out with well-placed blows. Chit Sang stepped into view, now in army garb and fighting off Yang's men.

"And I thought I had seen the end of riots, but everyone's wrong sometimes," he commented. He then floored one of his adversaries with a punch to the chest.

Meanwhile, in the barricaded room, General Yang listened to the sounds of chaos outside.

"Marvelous," he said quietly. "Simply marvelous. You are finished. What remains of your army is preoccupied fighting my soldiers, while the two most powerful Firebenders who pose a threat to me are hostages. Plus, if my information is correct, the Avatar and his friends have been sent on a pointless search. Shall I kill you now, or savor the pleasure of you witnessing the fall of your short-lived reign?"

"You know what they say, Yang," Iroh put in from the middle of his unwanted convoy. "Even the best-laid plans go awry. Just look at Azula's conquering of Ba Sing Se. I couldn't have done better if I was her, a very ruthless and cunning piece of work. But the city was not hers for long. And look back at the ancient history of Xan Tos, a brilliant mind who laid out gambits unimaginable by today's standards. He planned nearly everything he needed to conquer the world, and his reign would have continued for centuries if a twig had not upset his royal carriage and killed him."

"You surely jest, General Iroh," Yang laughed. "You don't believe I will fail to some insignificant detail, do you?"

"Oh, I believe all right," Iroh replied unwaveringly. "I am a firm believer in retribution, especially if there are ways that the hostage can exploit of escaping."

"Elaborate."

**Ba Sing Se**

Appa was hitched up and ready to fly, with Ursa, Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph aboard.

"Is everyone clear on the plan?" Sokka asked.

"We'll go to the Fire Nation capital and try to stop the crisis," Ursa began.

"Me and Mai are going in the airship to try and round up King Bumi and some of the other Earthbenders," Suki continued.

"And Ty Lee and I are going to confront my father's ships I saw following us," Xu finished. "Hopefully, we'll be able to strike a deal."

"Right," Sokka nodded. "Now let's go."


	9. Chapter 9: Ending in Ang

**Chapter 9: …And Other Things Ending in Ang**

**Earth Kingdom**

Xu braced himself. He wasn't exactly sure what to say to his father, but he had a pretty good idea. He and Ty Lee looked at each other. Then Yang's search party arrived.

"Well, well," the captain began, walking up to meet his son. "Did you two just manage to escape?"

"Dad, I'm not a hostage," Xu said calmly.

"Of course you aren't," his father replied. "Not anymore."

"You're missing the point. I was never a hostage. Well, OK, I was at first, but then I joined the Avatar of my own free will."

"…I'm disappointed in you, Xu. You would betray your country? You would sacrifice yourself for a cause you claim is noble?"

"You never understood, Dad. Neither did I, until recently. Perhaps I can enlighten you. Did you know what Fire Lord Ozai was trying to do before Aang defeated him? He wanted to wipe the Earth Kingdom off the map."

"As he should have. The Earthbenders were nothing but rebellious pests."

"Think about it from an Earthbender's point of view. Your home, your country, your life, all lost before your very eyes at the whim of a tyrant. Or imagine yourself as a Fire Nation soldier stationed in the Earth Kingdom. Killed for no reason, killed without thought. Does that strike you as something you want to fight for?"

The captain's men looked uncomfortable. Then one man spoke up. "The boy is right. I knew it all along. I only fought with Yang because my father knew him well. Captain Lang, what say you?"

Lang studied his son for a moment, his expression conflicted. He then broke out into a wide smile. "I'm sold. Son, you put together a good argument. So, boys, are you with us?" A loud cheer came from the crowd.

**Fire Nation**

Appa landed near the asylum where Azula was being held.

"This is where I leave you," Ursa said, bowing to the group, then left.

"I can't believe our luck," Sokka remarked. "We didn't get attacked, the plan is going smoothly, and I even found my space sword on the beach on the way here!" He ran a hand along the dark blade.

**Fire Nation Asylum**

The halls were practically silent. The only noise, apart from scattered whimpers, was the soft footfalls of Ursa's shoes. She reached the end , where Azula lay. Ursa looked away, not wanting to face a ranting daughter. Her will, however, broke through, and she opened the door.

"I expect you've come to disappoint me again," Azula dismissed. "I won't fall for this hallucination one more time."

"Azula, it's really me," her mother pleaded. "Look." She put her hand on Azula's shoulder, then pulled her into an embrace. Azula began to cry, returning the gesture.

"I've done terrible things," Azula confessed. "I have been a monster in every possible way. I tried to destroy the Earth Kingdom. I…"

Ursa silenced her. "I know," she said. "I know what you have done, and I accept that you have done it. And I forgive you. I now hope that you can look inside yourself and find what you must now do."

"I must go to Zuko. I must beg forgiveness from my family for what I have done to the world."

"Good." Ursa's tone became more urgent as she began to lead Azula out of the chamber. "Now, we haven't much time. There is a coup taking place inside the capital. We must hurry if we are to stop General Yang from taking over."

"Allow me, mother. I know how we can get there quickly." Azula ignited blue flames from her feet and the hand that wasn't clutching her mother's. The pair raced out of the asylum and towards the capital.

**Fire Nation Capital**

Appa landed amongst chaos and fury, blowing away three soldiers with his descent. The group leapt off and began to fight their way through the confusion. Aang bolted through to the palace doors, knocking aside his foes as he went. When he was close enough, he launched himself up with an air blast and crashed through one of the windows. Toph followed with the rest on a stone column.

More soldiers awaited them inside, but they were quickly subdued with a flurry of bending. The Gaang raced through the halls toward the room where Zuko and Iroh were being held. More guards came, but Katara swept them out of the windows with a wave of water. Finally, they reached the barricade doors, which were, quite obviously, locked. Aang looked through the crack between the double doors.

"We could try to break the doors down, but Yang would have an opportunity to kill Zuko," he noted. Suddenly, a flash of blue caused them to turn. Azula crashed in with Ursa in tow. Exhausted from the effort of launching both of them to this room, Azula clutched at her side and gasped for breath.

"I think I can handle this," Azula announced. "Yang would literally need lightning-fast reflexes to stop my attack."

Meanwhile, Iroh had just finished explaining in painstaking detail all the possible ways Yang could lose now.

"An impressive array of possibilities," Yang admitted, "but quite far-fetched. As you well know, old age has had little effect on us. I could still kill the Fire Lord before you could move. And as soon as I hear that we have taken the city, I will kill you, Zuko."

Azula peered through the crack to see Yang. With careful aim, she pointed directly at the general, making sure she wouldn't hit Zuko by mistake. Then she pulled the rest of her body back as she launched a bolt of lightning through the door. Yang saw it coming a millisecond before it hit him. He let loose a jet of fire, then fell to the ground.

Zuko, meanwhile, ducked and rolled out of the way of Yang's attack. His grip had slackened, so the Fire Lord had been able to break free. His hair was slightly singed, but other than that, he had successfully dodged the blast.

**Out to Sea**

"Captain!" shouted an officer. "We're being attacked by pirates, sir."

"How did they figure out we had defected?" mused Lang. "It doesn't matter. Fire the catapult!" Immediately, a volley of shots began to be traded off between the fleets. Xu realized something.

"Dad, if we're under attack, how are Ty Lee and I supposed to get on land? We can't swim in full armor, and we're hardly in a position to dock."

"Unfortunately, it looks like you're stuck here until we can fight off these pirates," Lang replied. "I think the Avatar can manage without you two." Xu rushed off to aid in the attack, disappointed. As he passed the catapult, however, he noticed something, and hurtled back.

"Dad, can you spare this ship's catapult for a minute or so?" Xu asked breathlessly.

"I'm not sure we can, with the fight they're putting up," his father said. "Why?"

"I think I just figured out how we're going to get on land," Xu said with a wry smile.

"Now, I'm not sure how far this'll take you," Lang admitted a few seconds later, as Xu and Ty Lee were loaded in the catapult's pan. "It usually takes boulders, so this may be quite a ride."

"We're ready for anything," Ty Lee said confidently, keeping her grip on Xu.

"Fire!" The pair were launched out farther, farther, farther….

"Sir, I think they might make it all the way to the palace," guessed a crew member in awe.

**Fire Nation Palace**

The Gaang rushed in the room, Toph having torn the doors down. Zuko and Iroh were taking on Yang's men, who were unsure what to do now that their leader was dead on the floor. In fact, there was little for the rest to do now that the rebellious forces were confused and being taken down by two master Firebenders. As they watched this, two assassins came for them.

Xu and Ty Lee hurtled through the air, clutching each other for dear life. Like the cannonballs that they were imitating, they crashed through the palace windows outside the barricaded room. Not breaking stride, Ty Lee disabled the two men with weapons before they reached the Gaang, and the two landed in the room, all the work done.

**On the Water**

Lang watched calmly as the pirate ships continued to batter at their defenses, while being similarly damaged by their own weapons. His men worked like a well-oiled machine, hardly needing his orders to succeed. A boulder slammed into one of the pirates' vessels, taking it down. Lang looked wildly around for the source, then saw a full armada of ships from the Earth Kingdom, coming to aid the cause.

**Fire Nation Capital**

The noise was deafening. The fighting seemed to fill the open air, and bursts of fire were scattered across the sky. From a balcony atop the palace, the Gaang observed this, trying to find a way to make an announcement. Toph fashioned a large gong of sorts from sheets of metal off the wall, then rang it. The effect was magnificent. All sound from the warring suddenly broke off.

"Citizens of the Fire Nation," Zuko boomed through the crowd, "General Yang is dead. Princess Azula has discovered that her loyalties lie truly with her family. The Earth Kingdom's army, as we speak, is coming here to defeat what is left of you. The rebellion is over. Surrender, and the healing process can truly begin."

Zuko was the first to go back in, accompanied by his family. The rest of the group followed, until it was just Aang on the balcony. He watched hands go slowly up, saw men fall to their knees in defeat. He finally walked back into the palace. This battle was over.


	10. Chapter 10: The Parting

**Chapter 10 (or Epilogue, Whatever): The Parting**

**Fire Nation Palace**

It was a scene of blissful reunion. The battle was won, the war was over, and everyone was there.

"So Azula," said Ty Lee, "how did you get here?"

"My mother came to me in the asylum. I suppose it must have been the relief of knowing she cared about me that brought me to my senses. I rocketed here and killed General Yang."

"I'm actually very surprised," voiced Sokka. "Logically speaking, the mere sight of your mother shouldn't have brought back your sanity as fast as it did, let alone make you completely switch sides."

"Would you rather I hadn't?" queried Azula with a devilish grin on her face.

"No, no," said Sokka defensively, "I'm just the team skeptic."

"Azula, I cannot express how happy I am to have you on our side," Iroh reported genially. "Healing, then, truly lies in family."

"I still expect to hire a therapist to monitor you," Ursa informed her daughter, receiving a look of scorn in return.

"My lord, it is an honor to be by your side," Xu said to Zuko, bowing deeply.

"So you started traveling with Aang?" Zuko asked.

"Briefly. After being their prisoner. Might I put a good word in for my father, Captain Lang? He held off the pirates until the Earth Kingdom ships arrived."

"I'll consider it. So, do you plan on staying in the military?"

"No, I was actually considering leaving for Kyoshi Island to be nearer to Ty Lee. Due punishment is to be expected, my lord," he added hastily.

"Well, then, consider yourself my ambassador to Kyoshi Island, Xu. Buy yourself a messenger hawk and get on a boat." Xu toppled over from the shock of the pleasant surprise.

"Things are looking up for us," Aang announced. "I can't think of a single threat left for us to take down now."

"You know, as much as that probably jinxed us, you're right," Sokka agreed. "Now we can relax and go our separate ways."

**A few days later**

The royal family watched the two boats bound for the Earth Kingdom set sail, with Appa taking off next to it.

"You know, this is kind of ironic," Azula pointed out to Mai and Zuko. "The last time we were all here, we were helping the world burn. Now we're here as the Fire Nation's benevolent monarchs."

"And I'm glad that you're here with me," Zuko said, putting his arm around his sister. She smiled slightly. However, when he turned back to wave to his departing friends, she allowed the smile to become a devilish grin. Things may not have been as they seemed.

On one boat was Toph and Bumi, off towards their homes.

"I hate the water," Toph grumbled, leaning against a wall. "I can't feel anything else but the ship."

"Oh, don't worry," Bumi assured her. "I'm sure that when we get back, you'll have gotten your see-legs!" He allowed himself a mad cackle at this pun, snorting and chuckling enthusiastically as Toph groaned and slid down onto the deck.

The other boat held Sokka, Suki, Xu, and Ty Lee, the love triangle with a tail.

"Hey, Ty Lee," Xu began, "you know how I said that I'd switch sides if you'd date me?"

"Oh, yeah," remembered Ty Lee, sounding not exactly enthused. "What about that?"

"Forget it," said Xu. "It would just feel wrong to me. If you'd like to, though…."

Ty Lee cocked her head to one side, as if studying Xu. She then shook her head. "I don't think so," she said apologetically. "I don't know how to feel right now. I just think I might stick to trying to get Sokka to go for me." She turned away and rested her cheek on her hand, looking out at the open sea.

Xu walked towards the stairway to get below deck when he was stopped by Suki. She grabbed him by his collar and spoke in a low voice. "Look," she hissed at him, "you're just some random army type who thinks that because you happened to run into us, you can waltz right into our group…. But you had better get Ty Lee to fall head over heels for you, because you just might be my one shot at an uninterrupted relationship. Got it?" Xu regained his composure after having been terrified, then nodded his head with a smirk on his face.

"I'll do my best," he promised.

Appa took to the skies, Aang and Katara sitting side by side atop him.

"Well, where are we going?" Katara asked.

"I don't know yet," Aang admitted. "There's a lot of world out there, and a lot of people we can help. Let's just make it up as we go along."

The groups put more and more distance between them, until the others looked as small as my fanbase. They were splitting off, separate like the beginning, heading off to whatever new adventures life had in store.

Notes: This is the end of the first part of my story. I may write another part, I may not. I have some interesting ideas floating around that I'd like to incorporate into this, but for now, I leave this out for perusal.


	11. Chapter 11: Therapy Session

**Chapter 11: Therapy Session**

**Fire Nation Capital**

Azula entered Dr. Jung's office. He gestured to the crimson couch, then went back to filling in some details on his notes. Azula took the offered seat, folded her hands behind her head, and waited for Dr. Jung.

"Now, Princess Azula, what seems to be the trouble?" he began amicably.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Azula repeated. "Well, it seems that my mother has allowed you to make a living on treating illness in me that no longer exists."

"I see," said Jung, sounding less friendly. "Now, you seemed to react positively to your mother, as you told me you would in the asylum. What pushed you to the breaking point in the first place?"

"I had just been betrayed by my two only friends," Azula snapped. "I think that would unhinge most people. If my two friends, who I kept loyal to me out of fear, would desert me, there would be nothing stopping my servants from doing the same, right?"

"How interesting," the doctor said, making notes. "So let me see if I can guess what happens next. You go over the edge because you believe there is no one left you can really trust. You believe that if you reunited with your mother, who had called you a monster, you would be able to have a fallback. Someone you knew would always be there for you."

"Exactly," Azula confirmed. "And with my father off to burn the Earth Kingdom, there was no one."

**Kyoshi Island**

Sokka perused the marketplace, trying to find the vegetables that would be least unappealing to him. Ty Lee then walked up to him on her hands, waiting until he turned to her. She then gave him a wink, a little giggle, and went on her way. Sokka was just turning back to the vegetables when Suki came up to him in a rage.

"Look, we're going to have to do something about this," Sokka said in exasperation. "I don't think she's going to back off. Maybe it's time we had a little…." He turned around, rummaged in his pouch, and stuck on his beard, then turned back to Suki. "Visit with the therapist!"

Suki snickered at him. "Sokka, you look ridiculous."

"Nonsense," Sokka said in his beard voice, pushing Suki towards his quarters. "We need to have a little chat about things. Please, step into my office."

The perplexed vegetable vendor shrugged, then turned his attention to a different customer.

"Now, tell me what the problem is," Sokka prompted.

"Sokka, you know what it is," Suki said in annoyance. "Ty Lee won't stop flirting with you, even though it's obvious we're in a relationship."

"Hmm, love can be troubling," Sokka said sympathetically. "How do you think you can solve this problem?"

"Well, I can think of a few ways…" Suki muttered forebodingly.

"Without violence," Sokka added hastily.

"Well, we've already tried making it even more obvious, I've tried to talk to her about it, and Xu hasn't really been successful in catching her attention."

"Tell me more about this Xu. What do you expect he will do?"

"Well, he seems pretty devoted to winning her over, for some reason. Maybe he'll actually do it, maybe not. I just hope it gets her to stop chasing after you."

"Maybe they could use some counseling," suggested Sokka. "Why don't we have a chat with them a little later?"

**Fire Nation Capital**

"So, I'm curious, how did your mind simply snap back to sanity after seeing your mother?" asked Dr. Jung.

"I knew I could trust her. My problems just went away. When my troubles cleared, I saw that my paranoia was irrelevant, and discarded it."

"Very interesting. Your mind, one of the greatest in the Fire Nation, was even making plots against your insanity."

"I suppose that's one way of putting it."

"So, Azula, how does it feel to be on the right side?"

"It feels wonderful. I can be forgiven of all the terrible things that I've done, and return to my place at the center of the Fire Nation peacefully."

"But is there something you want to tell me? Some secret your conscience is telling you to unload upon me? I can see it in your face."

"Well, there is something…"

"I would love to hear it. Confidentially, of course."

Azula smirked and allowed her placid expression to twist into a devilish one. "As fun as it is being on the side of good, I prefer to plot and scheme my way into power. My way is to construct plans that leave my enemies dumbfounded, and then pull out everything they had from under them."

"You mean…."

"Yes. I never really changed sides."

**Kyoshi Island**

Sokka stroked his fake beard. "So, Ty Lee, tell me what's on your mind."

"Well, you," she replied.

"And why is that? Don't you think this could cause some problems?"

"Well, I know Suki isn't too happy, but I'm really into you."

"What about Xu?"

"Well, I just don't think he's quite as cute."

"But he, at least, wants to be with you. What's the harm in trying?"

"I just really don't think he's my type."

"Trust me, I know these things."

A while later, Sokka was talking with Xu under the same circumstances.

"So, Xu, I hear you have your eye on someone."

"Yes, of course. Ty Lee."

"And how is that working out for you?"

"Not well. She's still ignoring my efforts."

"What do you think could help with that?"

"I don't know, you're supposed to be the therapist, tell me what I'm thinking."

"Maybe you should figure out some way to be more her type."

"Well, I do have one trick…." Xu sat up, swung his leg up and put it behind his head. Sokka looked surprised.

"Um… how long have you been able to do that?" he asked in his normal voice.

"Quite a while, actually, but this isn't a very good move. I mean, it's weird without being practical or even that impressive."

"Well, I would give that a try."

**Fire Nation Capital**

"Shall I tell you how I arrived here?" Azula wondered. "Well, I'm going to anyway, so get comfortable. I did start out insane. I had just lost everything, and it was all because I trusted no one. But then, I realized that even though rule by fear hadn't worked out for my friends, my subordinates would follow it just fine. I mean, we had a hundred years of that very rule. So I developed a plan. I would continue to stay in the asylum, feigning insanity. Then, I would reveal that I needed my mother. I did, after all, genuinely want her back. Then I would be back inside the inner circle of the Fire Nation, where not even the Avatar would bother me, because he wouldn't respect me. Eventually, I would take control from my relatives and rule the Fire Nation."

"I… I have to warn the Fire Lord."

"No, you don't. I will personally have you subjected to the most foul torture I can possibly imagine, keeping you alive for as long as possible while you are in the worst pain of your life."

"You wouldn't dare. You capturing me would undermine your entire plan."

"True, but there are plenty of assassins out there. I can guarantee that you die a slow, agonizing death, or you can keep your mouth shut. So the Fire Nation would be under my control. What do you care? You would even get more work, as I'm sure I would cause lasting mental damage to plenty of people."

Jung was silent, struck dumb by this. "I…. Yes, Princess. I understand."

"You see? That wasn't so hard." Azula walked around the frozen figure of Jung, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Notes: OK, so since I had a bunch of ideas, I just decided to go ahead and start writing. And this is what I came up with. I hope to have the next one up soon!


	12. Chapter 12: Monsters

**Chapter 12: Monsters**

**Spirit World**

Koh, the Face Stealer, faced his visitor. He was chained to the ground, standing but immobile. Koh leered at this man, a once-proud member of the Fire Nation. The spirit saw that stealing this man's face would be simple. The building rage and barely controlled fury behind the blank face would soon boil over.

"Admiral Zhao," Koh whispered. "I knew that you would soon face me. The other spirits have exhausted their tortures, then? No tricks left for the moon-slayer?" Zhao did not reply. "Well, well. You know, you are very lucky. Few mortals have ever done something so inhumane as to be sent here to be punished. Funny, that word. Inhumane. I have never known something inhumane done by anything other than a human."

Once again, Zhao remained silent. "Nothing you wish to say? Nothing in your defense? I would think you would have a great deal to say, perhaps to explain how you can possibly justify throwing the world out of balance. I certainly don't see how you can. It's just cold-blooded murder, isn't it? Cold blood in a Firebender."

Koh waited to see if Zhao would finally respond. The admiral's neck was taut, trying to conceal his anger. But Zhao said nothing to release it.

"I don't steal faces for speaking, you know," Koh reminded Zhao. "I deal with emotions, not words."

"I don't make a habit of chatting with hideous monsters," Zhao said calmly.

"Neither do I," Koh replied. "But we all have to make exceptions sometimes. I want to know how you can possibly believe what you did was right, or justified, or clever. I don't take kindly to the attempted murder of spirits, Zhao. If you don't believe me, why not ask the Avatar? He knows all too well what I'm talking about."

"I saw a chance to defeat the Waterbenders," Zhao explained, "and I exploited it. It's as simple as that."

"I believe you got that information from Wan Shi Tong's library, am I right?" Koh began to circle around his prey. "I assume that he already settled his score with you. He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things knows a fair bit about breaking a man's spirit. I'm also sure he explained just how ridiculous your plan was. Killing the moon would have taken away Waterbending, yes, but it also would have obliterated the balance of the world. You were toying with nature, Zhao, and you could have destroyed the world. Lucky for you there was a girl with a debt to pay to the spirits."

Koh paused, staring Zhao full in the face. He then quickly changed his face into that of a mandrill, gave a wild scream, then turned his face back.

"Not easily scared, I see," Koh muttered.

"Years of war and months of pain will do that."

"Hmm, I thought you would be quick to submit, Zhao, but you are a tough one to crack after all. Perhaps you have learned something from your stay here. I think we could do this for quite some time. Your final test. Then, once I have your face in my collection, you will move on."

"What happens after this?" Zhao asked quietly.

"Oh, I could tell you many things," Koh taunted, getting closer to Zhao. Then he drew back. "But I won't. What would be the fun in the great mystery if there's someone telling you the ending? Besides, you hardly deserve it. You should remain in the dark, just as you would have left the night."

**Earth Kingdom**

Aang and Katara flew along on Appa, Momo perched atop Aang's shoulder. Katara looked through their pouch, finding that it was nearly empty.

"Hey Aang, we should probably stop in the next town for supplies," she pointed out.

They flew a while until they reached a village. Landing just outside the village so as to not attract too much attention, they walked through the street of the small town until they saw an old man passing by.

"Well, hi there, don't think I've seen you around these parts," the man said. "Name's Lao Ren."

"I'm Katara."

"And I'm Aang."

"The Avatar? Well, it's certainly an honor to have you in our village. So, what brings you here?"

"Just another stop on our journey around the world," Aang explained.

"Hmm. Well, I'd be happy to show you around. There's not much to see. We're a small, out of the way place, which was very convenient during the war. The only business we ever had with the Fire Nation was a few soldiers now and then just passing through. But they never troubled us. Well, here's the market."

They stopped at a few carts to buy the food they needed. As they were buying cabbages from an unusually wary vendor, a little boy came up to Aang.

"Excuse me, but are you the Avatar?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am."

"There's a man living outside of town that wanted me to tell him if I heard anything about you. I should go say you're here." He took off, leaving Aang bewildered.

"Don't worry about that," Lao Ren said dismissively. "There's an old hermit living on the outskirts in some kind of remodeled cave. He comes into town sometimes to do odd jobs. Must be paying the kid for information."

"Do you think we should go and meet him? You know, if he's so interested in me."

"Who knows? Might be a good idea to humor him. Right now, I think we should go and find you a room somewhere. There's a little inn around here. Doesn't see much business, but we keep it in decent condition, just in case." He led them onward, but Aang looked back in the direction the boy had run off in.

**Spirit World**

"No, I don't think I'll tell you anything," Koh said to Zhao. "It's too bad you can't bend here. You could melt those chains and escape. Ah well." He sighed. "I bore easily. I'll be back here in an hour. If I were you, I'd take the chance to cool off." Koh slithered off, leaving Zhao alone.

When the admiral saw the spirit leave, he yelled in frustration out to the heavens. He then tugged on the chains binding his arms to the ground. He squatted down to the ground, then sprang up and yanked on his bonds. The chain on his right arm snapped in the middle. Zhao laughed triumphantly, then got to work on the one on his left. After he had broken that one, he bent down and hurriedly pulled on the shorter chains on his feet.

A few minutes later, he had successfully broken free. He burst out of Koh's lair, running for his life. One thought ran through Zhao's head as he tore through the spiritual plane; Escape. Escape! ESCAPE! He ran through forests, through valleys, through fields. ESCAPE! ESCAPE! ESCAPE! He hid himself from wandering spirits, attempting to fling himself back into the mortal world at every place. ESCAPE! ESCAPE! ESCAPE! He tried to find any vantage point, any place with spiritual ties enough for him to come back among the living. ESCAPE! Escape! Escape….

**Earth Kingdom Village**

"Well, this isn't much, but it's the best we can offer you," Lao Ren said, gesturing inside the inn's room. It was a small room, but it looked comfortable enough to spend a night.

"Thank you for showing us around," Katara said gratefully. Lao Ren bowed and left.

After he had gone, Aang turned to Katara. "I've been thinking about that hermit we heard about earlier. I think we should go see what he's like."

"You know, I've been thinking the same thing," Katara admitted. "If he's paying people to give him information about you, I don't think he'd mind you paying him a visit."

The pair exited the inn and started heading off in the direction the boy had gone earlier. Soon, they had arrived at the doorway to a cave carved in a stony hill. The door was a slab of rock, just large enough that someone couldn't simply push it aside. Aang pounded on the door in order to be heard through the rock. A few moments later, what sounded like a gust of wind came from inside the cave, and the rock slid aside.

A disheveled man stood in the entrance. His clothes, orange and yellow attire, were dirty and torn in places. He had a wild, gray beard, but no hair to complement it. Instead, he wore a conical straw hat. He carried an umbrella in his right hand, which made stark contrast with the rest of him by being silver and gleaming in the setting sun.

"You are Avatar Aang," he said. It was a simple statement of fact. "I have been waiting for you. My name is Kong Qi." He reached up with his left hand and removed his hat. On his bald head was an arrow tattoo. "I never thought I would ever see another Airbender."

Notes: Well, I hope to not make this story too far-fetched, but, as you can see, I've added in some things that may stretch the Avatar universe just a little. On a completely different note, I try not to give my original characters names that were already used, to avoid confusion. Unfortunately, I recently learned from the Avatar Wiki that Dock's fish salesman name is not Shoe, it's Xu. Crap.


End file.
